Somewhere in Oregon - A River Quiver Photo Essay

Words By Pat Perry

Photos Courtesy: Zento Slinger (@zentosahn)

The big bugs are coming. 

The month of May marks the annual pilgrimage to a special river in Central Oregon to hit the famed salmonfly hatch. Every year the hatch timing is a little different but one thing is for sure the bugs will be there and the trout will follow. 

I loaded up a Gunmetal River Quiver 4 Banger, with all the “troutssential” rods 4wt, 5wt, 6wt and even a fiberglass 3wt solely for throwing salmon fly dries on the surface. The Central Oregon desert smelled of juniper and sagebrush and the mighty oasis of the river ran swift. 

Anticipation was high, as the rods were loaded out of the River Quiver. The salmon flies were thick along the banks of the river buzzing around like mini black hawk helicopters. And just like that it was go time. 

Unfortunately for us with a good snow pack from the previous winter, the dam managers were letting the floodgates open. The streamflow was higher than ideal, making the fishing tough and the fish uncomfortable. The bugs were there but the fish just weren’t keyed in yet. You can’t win them all. Needless to say, the scenery is never bad and there is always a cold beer or drink waiting at camp. 

The best part about using a River Quiver when car camping is you have a dedicated spot for your fly rods. There’s no reason to have them leaning up against the car or a tree. Where one too many beers could lead to accidentally stepping on a rod at camp.

The River Quiver provides a safe secure place for your fly rods on these car camping fishing adventures.

For more information, here's the latest River Quiver review by Field & Stream Magazine.